


Once bitten...

by The_Devils_Palace



Series: The Devil's Answer [1]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Denial, Frottage, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Love Confessions, Lovebug AU, M/M, Mind Games, Non-Human Genitalia, Oral Sex, Rimming, Sexual Tension, Swordfighting, Vaginal Fingering, cuddle or die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:40:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27657637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Devils_Palace/pseuds/The_Devils_Palace
Summary: During one of their definitely not homoerotic sword fights, Vernon Roche gets bitten by a mysterious insect. Once bitten he is in extreme pain unless he is in physical contact with someone else. Too bad the only person around is his nemesis...Iorveth really should just leave the dh'oine to suffer, but an insect bite seems like such a pathetic way for his enemy to die. If he is going to die it really should be by Iorveth's hand, ideally after an epic battle.Or Iorveth/Roche cuddle or die
Relationships: Iorveth/Vernon Roche
Series: The Devil's Answer [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2177226
Comments: 66
Kudos: 103





	1. Amare cimex

Iorveth was watching Roche. The dh’oine was out alone in his forest. Iorveth smiled to himself, well if this wasn’t an excellent opportunity to rough up the dh’oine. It was like he wanted to be humiliated. Iorveth swung deftly and silently down from his treetop perch. As he made his final swing towards the ground he aimed a swift kick to the dh’oine’s back. Roche yelped as he fell forward from the impact. Iorveth laughed as he landed and drew his sword. Roche recovered quickly and rolled on to his back but before he could reach his own sword Iorveth had his own blade underneath his chin.

“Really you should be more careful walking alone in _my_ woods Vernon.” Iorveth kept his tone deliberately light and mocking. Roche glared at him from where he lay on the floor for a long moment, before quick as a whip he threw a handful of dirt in Iorveth’s face. Iorveth shut his eyes and coughed as the gritty earth hit him. When his eyes reopened Roche had drawn his sword and was halfway to standing.

“Maybe you should be more careful sneaking up on people.” Roche went straight into an aggressive parry and Iorveth launched himself into a riposte, aimed to unbalance the dh’oine. Roche somehow managed to keep his weight even on his feet and parry Iorveth’s attack. What followed was a devilishly quick exchange, that caused adrenaline to thrum through Iorveth’s veins. Nothing was ever quite as exciting as fighting Vernon Roche.

The fight eventually came to a natural pause, Roche had managed to gain a small amount of ground, but Iorveth had just parried him with such force that Roche had taken a few steps backwards. They both took the few paces distance as an opportunity to draw breath and watch the other.

Sweat dripped down Roche's face as he stood facing him. Iorveth had his sword at the ready, his own chest rising and falling rapidly. They just stared at each other for a long moment in silence, and then they launched into motion once more, charging at one another with their blades raised.

They clashed again, putting all their force and cleverness into the exchange. As they moved around the forest floor, Iorveth started to get the upper hand. He watched the dh’oine’s movements carefully. His focus was slightly too much with his sword. Iorveth smirked to himself as he aimed a swift kick and the dh’oine’e legs. The kick landed perfectly and Roche staggered before falling backwards into a dense thicket with an indignant grunt.

Iorveth snickered at the sight of Roche having fallen on his ass. But before he had a chance to gloat Roche cried out in a harsh shriek of pain, clasping at his neck. Iorveth winced at the sound, it didn’t look like there was anything the dh’oine could have caught himself on as he fell. He moved closer, sword still drawn.

Roche looked up at him, his eyes wide and his pupils dilated. There was a long pause before Roche started to scream. The pained sound went straight through Iorveth; this was not the sound of someone who had fallen badly. As much as he hated the dh’oine, there was something about that sound that struck fear in him. Iorveth fell to his knees beside the dh’oine and reached out to where his hand was pressed over his neck. As soon as his fingers touched Roche’s skin, he stopped screaming and started gaping in pained breaths instead.

“What happened?” Iorveth asked.

“S...Something b bit me.” Roche gasped out. Iorveth grit his teeth, really he should leave the dh’oine to suffer...but it would be such a disappointing end to their rivalry.

“Did you see what?” Iorveth demanded.

“An..an insect...large, shiny...had a strange pattern on its back…” As Roche spoke Iorveth took his hand away, as soon as he took his hand away, Roche flinched and cried out once more. The effect was so instant it made Iorveth almost fell backwards himself.

Iorveth racked his brains, what could have bitten him that would cause this level of pain? Adder bites didn’t hurt that much, most insect bites and stings hurt...but not to this level. He reached back out and pulled Roche’s hand away from his neck. Once again as soon as he made contact with the dh’oine’s skin, the screaming stopped.

As he moved Roche’s hand something started to click. The pain seemed to stop as soon as he touched his skin...oh no...it couldn’t be...

“Did the insect have a kind of chevron pattern on its back?” Iorveth pressed urgently.

“I don’t know...yeah maybe…” Roche replied. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck. Of all the people at all the times... Amare cimex, a rare and venomous group of insects, whose venom caused the victim to experience extreme pain unless they were in physical contact with another. There were two main species of Amare cimex, verum and prope, verum required the victim to be in contact with their true love, prope caused the victim to latch onto the closest person and require their touch to alleviate their pain. Amare cimex verum was a bright scarlet and the Amare cimex prope was an olive green. Iorveth swallowed, he needed to know which.

“What colour was it dh’oine? Was it red or green?” Iorveth asked, his voice tight.

“I...I’m not sure...green I think.” Roche said. Iorveth breathed a sigh...of relief...definitely not disappointment. He could see the angry purple bite, where he had lifted Roche’s hand.

Roche began whimpering, the venom must be taking hold. Iorveth groaned...of all the things that had happened in all his long years...this had to be the stupidest. He started pulling Roche up out of the thicket. Roche made a pained noise as he was pulled to his knees clear of the bushes. He looked pale and his pupils were still dilated.

“What’s happening to me? I...I feel drunk...no I feel hungover...what was that insect?” Roche asked a slight delirious note to his voice.

“You’ve been bitten by an Amare cimex.” Iorveth said grimly.

“Amare what now?” Roche asked, sounding confused.

“It’s a rare insect, sometimes referred to as a Lovebug, its venom causes the victim to be in unbearable pain unless they have the physical contact with another specific person.” Iorveth explained, he was holding onto one of the dh’oine’s hands. Roche’s hand squirmed in his grasp like he was uncomfortable with the contact.

“Why...why is it called a Lovebug?” Roche asked a slight high note to his voice.

“One species, the rarest, causes the victim to need the touch of their true love.” Iorveth explained. Roche paled and jerked his hand away from Iorveth.

“No, fuck off...this is some elf trick...fuuuck.” Roche spluttered, as soon as he pulled away he doubled over and started cursing in a terrible whine. Iorveth rolled his eyes and reached out to grab Roche’s hand once more. Roche moaned in relief and pressed into the contact.

“Idiot dh’oine. You said the insect was green that means it is the more common variety. They cause the victim to imprint on the nearest person and require their touch. Now, if you keep pulling away you are just going to hurt yourself.” Iorveth huffed.

“Yeah...green.” Roche said weakly.

“The venom is only going to get worse, so we need to find shelter before it’s hard to move.” Iorveth said as he started to get up. Roche stayed on the ground looking shaken.

“What do you mean worse? How long is this going to last?” Roche said, he looked up at Iorveth with trepidation.

“It’s hard to say...from what I’ve read...around twenty four hours.” Iorveth said distractedly. He pulled on Roche’s hand to hurry him up, but he stayed resolutely still.

“Why are you helping me?” Roche’s voice was gruff and his brow was furrowed. Iorveth rolled his eyes again.

“Because I am not having my enemy die from something as pathetic as an insect bite when he should die by my sword after I have thoroughly defeated him.” Iorveth huffed impatiently. Roche paused for another moment, but this answer seemed to satisfy him enough for him to stand. Iorveth turned and practically dragged Roche into the woods. They needed to find a suitable place to wait out the venom and Iorveth knew a place nearby that would suffice.

As they made their way through the forest in silence Iorveth started to take in the surrealness of the situation. He was walking through the forest with Vernon fucking Roche...holding his hand. The dh’oine’s hand was strangely warm, his fingers were shorter and thicker than elven fingers. It was beyond strange to share such an intimate gesture with his enemy. A shiver went up Iorveth’s spine and he pressed on faster, trying to distract himself.

They reached the clearing Iorveth had been leading them to, there was a starck rock face at one end and large trees surrounding it. It was sheltered and far away from any places where he knew there to be Endregas or Nekkers. Iorveth looked around, they would need a fire for the long night ahead, he turned to Roche.

“We are going to need to gather some firewood. Think you can manage that?” Iorveth asked. Roche looked pale and there was a tense line to his posture that suggested he was in more pain than he was letting on, but he grunted an affirmative and the pair of them set about looking for firewood.

Trying to gather firewood like this was awkward and slow. Several times Iorveth forgot himself and let go of Roche’s hand only to hear him cry out in pain and drop whatever wood he was holding. After several instances of this, and a lot of cursing in both Common and Elder, the two of them managed to create a system where Iorveth picked up whatever they needed and Roche carried it.

Eventually, they had collected enough to last them through the night. They settled beside the pile of wood and Iorveth looked over Roche. He looked worse than when they arrived, he was shaky and a thin sheen of sweat coated his face. The venom must be taking hold.

“I’ve got to build the fire, going to need both my hands.” Iorveth said, looking pointedly at their clasped hands. Roche flinched and took in a sharp intake of breath.

“I...I don’t think I can handle not...you know…” Roche’s voice sounded weak and vulnerable. It seemed unnatural to hear that in Vernon Roche’s voice, Iorveth didn’t like it one bit. Damn this forest and its godforsaken insect life. Iorveth sighed irritably as he started pulling at the laces of the bracer on his right arm. He pulled it away and shoved his right sleeve up as far as it would go.

“You can hold onto my upper arm.” Iorveth said pushing his arm closer to Roche. Roche stared at it for a few moments before loosening his grip on Iorveth’s right hand and running his hand up Iorveth’s arm so it gripped his bicep. Iorveth shivered slightly at the touch, it felt oddly good. But then, Iorveth supposed, it had been a long time since anyone had touched him with anything close to affection. Iorveth pushed that thought firmly out of his mind and focussed his full attention on building the fire. The fire would need to keep them warm for quite a long time and it would be better if it needed minimal tending. He built it long using the rock face as a heat reflector. Thankfully the trees in this part of the forest were oaks and beeches, the hard wood would burn long and steady. The only drawback was that this required getting the initial stage of the fire hot enough to catch the hardwood logs. This took carefully building the fire up and feeding it softer woods like larch.

As he worked he watched Roche out of the corner of his eye. He was staring at the exposed skin of Iorveth’s arm. The attention made Iorveth feel...uncomfortable? Maybe that wasn’t the right word but it made him suddenly feel very aware of his own body. He bit his lip as he carried on coaxing the fire to life. He was in the middle of placing a larger stick on the fire when he felt Roche’s other hand touch his arm gently. He almost flinched but managed to keep his reaction under control. He looked to the side and saw Roche grasping his arm, a look of relief flooding his face. He must be starting to need more contact.

He finished off building the fire up and sat back next to Roche. He leaned in closer so the dh’oine had more contact with his arm. Roche let out a relieved sounding sigh. Iorveth looked at him. He was clasping Iorveth’s arm with both hands and determinedly looking into the fire and not at Iorveth.

“How are you feeling?” Iorveth said after a long awkward pause. He was sitting by a fire….arm in arm with Vernon Roche...what even was his life?

“Fine.” Roche replied tightly, still not looking at him. Iorveth sighed….it was going to be a long night.


	2. My eye is up here dh'oine...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Stupid dh’oine, it’s getting worse isn’t it?” Iorveth said. Roche looked away and shook his head stubbornly.
> 
> “M’ fine.” he mumbled pathetically. It sounded stupid even to his own ears.
> 
> “Yes, of course, if the mighty Vernon Roche is crying...all must be right with the world.” Iorveth scoffed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for all your lovely comments on the first chapter ^^
> 
> I am having a lot of fun with this, hope you enjoy a bit of Roche pov.

Everything hurt. Admittedly it wasn’t as bad as the pain when he wasn’t touching Iorveth. That pain was sudden and blinding. It was the kind of pain that couldn’t seem to decide if it was freezing or burning. It came on with the suddenness and intensity of falling in freezing water, part pain, part shock, an unbearable sensation that reverberated through his whole body. Now, the pain was a deep seated ache, it throbbed in his joints. He had been trying to keep himself still while Iorveth worked at building the fire. Nothing felt comfortable, he desperately wanted to move, to fidget, but even the idea of moving hurt. All he wanted was to touch Iorveth more, every fiber of him wanted to press as much of himself to the elf as he could. It steadily got worse until all he could think about was puting another hand on Iorveth. he had put his other hand on Iorveth. It had felt like his skin was crawling, almost like a burning sensation. Finally, he reached out and put his other hand on Iorveth, the effect was almost instant. The feeling in his skin went away and it was like he could think clearly again. He let out a sigh of relief, staring into the fire hoping it would all just go away.

The absence of the pain only opened up space for him to think. The image of the insect was burned into his mind. The place it bit him on his neck throbbed horribly. What had it looked like? He tried to picture it in his mind. All he could remember was the pattern on its wing casing and its large pincers. What colour had it been? All he could picture was a yellowish brown...with his colourblindness...it could be anything. Iorveth had looked relieved when he said green. It had to be green, right? He couldn’t...Iorveth couldn’t be his...could he? Roche knew if he was honest with himself that their rivalry, their conflict, hadn’t been just that for him for a while. He thought about the elf far too much for that to be true. Normally he could just bury that under pretending the elf was his nemesis. Only he didn’t have that luxury now, weakened by the pain and with the object of his...interest forced to touch him. Well not forced….Iorveth didn’t have to help him...but for some inexplicable reason he was. How much worse could this get? He almost wished that Iorveth had left him to die...that would be far easier to deal with than this.

“How are you feeling?” Iorveth’s voice cut through his thoughts. How was he feeling? Like he wanted to die on many levels? Like he wanted to press himself into Iorveth and never let go?

“Fine.” he managed, deliberately looking into the fire. 

They stayed sat in front of the fire for a long time. Slowly, the pain started to worsen again. Roche tried to stay as resolutely still as his body would let him. It was bad enough having Iorveth’s arm clasped in his own, he would not demand more from the elf. He could do this...he had survived pain before, he could survive this. If only the elf’s skin didn’t feel so cool and comforting. He wanted to move his hands across it, feeling every bump and scar on Iorveth’s arm.

The pain grew steadily, pulsing over him in waves that felt in one minute too hot and in the next too cold. Slowly his whole world became relentless, soul destroying pain. He could feel his hands squeeze Iorveth’s arm. He put all this focus into not squeezing too hard, into not crying out, into moving as little as possible. He could feel his body shaking. He could get through this, he just had to get through the next ten seconds...and then the next, and the next. He could do this. He could. 

“Are you….are you crying?” Iorveth’s voice broke through to him again. Was he what? He suddenly realised how wet his face was, how much he was shaking... Fuck. The realisation snapped something inside of him and Roche let out a pained sob as the tears really started to come. Everything just hurt so much.

Iorveth paused awkwardly next to him, then pulled him round and kneeled in front of him. He brought his hands to his face and held it firmly. The contact had an immediate effect. The unbearable edge to the pain vanished almost instantly. Everything still ached but at least now Roche could think clearly. He looked up at Iorveth barely able to focus over the visceral relief flooding his system. 

“Stupid dh’oine, it’s getting worse isn’t it?” Iorveth said. Roche looked away and shook his head stubbornly.

“M’ fine.” he mumbled pathetically. It sounded stupid event to his own ears.

“Yes, of course if the mighty Vernon Roche is crying...all must be right with the world.” Iorveth scoffed.

“I’m not crying...my eyes are just watering from the smoke.” Roche tried. Iorveth made a sceptical sound that was something between a laugh and snort.

“Whatever you need to tell yourself dh’oine.” Iorveth said, he removed his hands from Roche’s face. The pain came rushing back and Roche winced, but before it could take hold again Iorveth had taken Roche’s hands from where they squeezed his arm and had placed them round his neck. He then shifted so he could start undoing Roche’s armour.

“What...what are you doing?” he gasped, clutching at Iorveth’s neck but wriggling away from the elf’s hands.

“It’s getting worse. You are going to need more contact or the pain will become so unbearable that your body will likely die from the shock of it.” Iorveth said matter-of-factly. 

Roche let out a moan, could this get any worse? Being without his armour in front of one of his enemies was bad enough, but for it to be Iorveth… Now that the idea was in his head his mind hungered after more contact like a starving man. 

Iorveth made short work of the festenings of his armour and piece by piece he removed it while keeping in contact with Roche. It was awkward, at points he had to pull things over Roche’s head and their contact was broken momentarily, the rush of pain each time made Roche feel like he was going to be sick. Once Iorveth had got Roche down to his undershirt he started on undressing himself. Roche watched transfixed, he couldn’t help but watch Iorveth’s hands as he unbuckled various parts of his cobbled together armour. 

This was almost unbearable. He had...well he had thought about this...in his weaker moments. He had thought what it would be like if he could see Iorveth undress, what he would look like, what he would feel like. Fuck, this was like a living nightmare, like he had been cursed to get what he desired but in the most twisted way possible. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried not to think about it. 

After some further jostling and awkward moving around each other, Roche was in just his undershirt and Iorveth was the light tunic he wore under his armour. Its collar hung low and Roche could see a fair portion of Iorveth’s exposed chest. His skin was sun darkened with the twisting vines of his Scoia’tael tattoo climbing up his neck. Roche just...couldn’t stop staring. He wanted to touch so badly. 

“My eye is up here, dh’oine.” Iorveth said cooly. Roche startled and looked up, he could feel himself flushing scarlet at being caught staring at the elf’s chest. 

“Sorry.” he said quickly. He found he couldn’t meet the elf’s eye, so he just stared uncomfortably over his shoulder. The pain was starting to get worse again, this time it felt hot and searing, he could feel sweat prickling at his skin as he started to sweat from it despite having only one layer between him and the chilly evening air.

“It’s getting worse again isn’t it, I can see it on your face.” Iorveth said, sighing. “Look, c’mere.” Iorveth pulled him closer and slipped his hands up Roche’s shirt. The feeling of the elf’s bare arms against his skin was like a tonic for his soul. The pain vanished almost immediately, the feeling of where their skin touched felt pleasantly warm and just..good. Roche sagged and leaned into it. Without even thinking he pressed himself to Iorveth and slipped his own hands up the elf’s tunic. His skin was wonderfully cool and smooth, like touching marble on a hot day. 

For several long minutes Roche just sank into the contact without thinking beyond how good it felt compared to the pain from before. But, as time drew on he became progressively more aware that he was cuddling his...well, his enemy. They were pressed together like friends or maybe even lovers, and wasn’t that a thought. Roche tried to push that thought firmly from his head. They were enemies and this was just a blip, an unusual, unthinkable circumstance and nothing more. 

But, then the elf had to start rubbing his back and pulling him closer. Roche couldn’t help but melt into the touch. Iorveth holding him had no reason feeling this good...but somehow it did. A noise rumbled through his chest, it could've been a moan or a whine, he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that this felt good and he didn’t want to think further than that. The further he let himself relax into the hug the more heady it felt. He tentatively started to move his own hands on the elf’s back, tracing his spine and shoulder blades, they stuck out far more than he’d like but there was also a power in the muscles of Iorveth’s back that felt comforting. He slowly drifted off, floating in the heady sensation.


	3. Staying in the present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Is it getting worse again?” Iorveth asked, his voice coming out strangely soft even to his own ears. He squeezed his eye shut, embarrassed with how that sounded.
> 
> “Yes.” came the pained reply. Iorveth sighed and started pulling Roche’s shirt off, this was going to happen at some point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh they are going to get into the cuddling now! Yessssssss

Iorveth couldn’t quite believe this was actually happening. Vernon Roche was in his arms...Vernon Roche was...cuddling him. His body was slumped into Iorveth’s, his arms were wrapped around his waist and his hands were slowly stroking over Iorveth’s back. Iorveth continued to rub the dh’oine’s back in return. The dh’oine was warm, were they always like this? Or was it brought on by the bite? It felt, well, it felt quite nice actually to have the warm weight of Roche pressed up against him. Fuck. Had it really been so long since he had layed with someone that Iorveth was enjoying being pressed up against Vernon fucking Roche? Gods, he was pathetic. 

Iorveth shifted uncomfortably at that train of thought and tried to think of something else. Unfortunately, all his mind could do was focus on the feeling of the dh’oine stroking his back. His warm hands trailed across his skin and each pass of them soothed something deep in Iorveth. He shouldn’t be enjoying this, for starters, it was Vernon fucking Roche, Secondly, Roche was being essentially forced into touching him, he shouldn’t be enjoying that. Roche wouldn’t want to touch him ordinarily, well, unless it was to try to overpower him. A sudden image of Roche pinning him, dressed as they were, flooded Iorveth’s mind. Iorveth felt a strange heat beneath his own skin at the thought. Nope. Not thinking about that.

They stayed kneeling, holding each other, for a long while. Iorveth tried to keep his mind resolutely on other things. He settled on naming all the different types of mushroom he could think of: puffball, earthball, birch polypore, death cap, wax cap, shaggy ink cap, chanterelle, dryad's saddle, coal fungus, oyster, witch’s butter, fly agaric, liberty cap...stinkhorn. Just the thought of the stinking oddly phallic fungus made a childish part of Iorveth want to giggle childishly. Nature sure had a sense of humour it would seem. 

Roche fidgeting beneath him brought his mind back to the present. Roche made a quiet needy noise that sent a shiver through Iorveth. He didn’t know that this vicious human was capable of such a noise. He pulled away slightly and looked down at Roche, he was starting to sweat again and had his eyes squeezed shut as if he was in pain.

“Is it getting worse again?” Iorveth asked, his voice coming out strangely soft even to his own ears. He squeezed his eye shut, embarrassed with how that sounded.

“Yes.” came the pained reply. Iorveth sighed and started pulling Roche’s shirt off, this was going to happen at some point. Roche didn’t even try to resist it this time, in fact, he started pulling at Iorveth's tunic with all the grace and coordination of a drunkard. Iorveth snorted in amusement and pulled the tunic up and over his head. Once he was finished, they both paused, they were both bare-chested now. Roche’s chest was broad and covered in hair, the Temerian army clearly kept its men well fed. Roche’s skin had various tattoos across it, between the hair and the angle they were at Iorveth couldn’t quite see what they were...but one looked suspiciously like a lilly over his heart. Of fucking course!

Before Iorveth could think of something mocking to say about it, Roche had slipped his arms around his waist and pressed them together, chest to chest. Iorveth was taller so Roche’s head ended up under his chin. With a resigned sigh, he slipped his own arms around Roche and rested his chin on his head. Roche let out a relieved sigh and pressed his face into Iorveth's neck. 

Iorveth froze up, the dh'oine was being so shamelessly affectionate. Was this a human thing? Was it a Vernon thing? Was it just the venom? It made him feel uncomfortable, but also felt kind of...nice? The dh'oine's bulky warmth pressed against him felt solid and comforting. However, they had been kneeling for quite some time at this point and Iorveth knees had started to ache. He shifted uncomfortably before nudging Vernon up with his shoulder.

“My knees are starting to ache like this, shift over.” Iorveth grunted.

“Getting old are you?” it sounded like Roche was trying to be mocking but the slur the venom had granted him took the bite out of it.

Iorveth snorted a laugh and shifted them around until he was sitting behind Roche, his back against a nearby tree, with the dh’oine between his legs. He stretched his legs out, relishing in the relief from their previous stiffness. Roche slumped back against him and pulled Iorveth’s arms tightly around him. 

This position was easier in some ways as Iorveth was no longer facing the dh’oine, but there was something about being wrapped around another body that felt deliciously good. Feeling the bulk of Roche sit solidly in his embrace was so different from anything Iorveth had experienced before. Elven bodies, for the most part, had narrower frames, their bodies also ran cool, unlike the heat that was currently radiating off Roche. For a moment he just let himself enjoy the sensation, he knew he shouldn’t but comforts were so hard to come by in his life. But, the longer he sat there and the more he thought about it the more fucked up the whole situation became. He should not be enjoying embracing a dh’oine, let alone one that was his sworn enemy...his nemesis. What made it worse was that Roche wasn’t even doing this by choice, the venom had forced him to need Iorveth’s touch. What kind of person enjoyed the forced touch of another? A pretty fucking awful one by all accounts.

Iorveth could feel himself start to get overwhelmed by his own thoughts. He took in several long slow breaths to try and calm himself. He needed to think about something else. Maybe if he just imagined that this was someone else? He tried to think and all his mind supplied him with was the last time he had held Cedric like this. He let himself get lost in that sad thought. It was better than the present, surely… 

For a time remembering Cedric was a sad sort of comfort, remembering the way his body felt, the way he smiled...the way his voice sounded. Remembering his voice was nice, the stories he would tell, the jokes they shared, the arguments they’d had. All of a sudden Iorveth’s mind was flooded with that final argument.  _ You’re full of hate Iorveth. It’s turning you into a monster...and I do not wish to lie with a monster.  _ Iorveth could feel his breath getting ragged at the memory. He was a monster...how could anyone ever want him? He was damaged in both body and mind...all he was good for was war and fighting. He was made for hatred, not for affection...not for love. It was fitting that the only gentleness he could receive was someone cursed into needing it. He could feel his eyes burn as they started to form tears. By the stars he really was fucked up.

“This...s’nice.” Roche’s voice broke Iorveth out of his sad spiral. He sounded so content and relaxed. After he spoke, Roche wriggled deeper into Iorveth’s embrace and leaned his head back against Iorveth’s shoulder. This meant that Roche’s chaperone was pushed up into Iorveth’s face. 

“Get your stupid hat out of my face dh’oine.” Iorveth growled. As his irritation rose he could feel the overpowering sadness dissipate, perhaps it was better to stay in the present.

“S’not a stupid hat, it’s a stupid chaperone. Get it right elf.” Roche mumbled lazily as he relaxed back into Iorveth, pushing the chaperone further into his face. 

“Whatever you call it, I want it out of my face.” Iorveth snapped, and with that, he yanked it off Roche’s head and threw it across the clearing. It landed in a crumpled heap well out of reach.

“Hey! Now my head is cold.” Roche protested. Without the chaperone, Roche had a head of surprisingly nice-looking auburn curls.

“Deal with it dh’oine.” Iorveth snapped, trying hard not to notice how nice the dh’oine’s hair was now it was right next to his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iorveth is such a sad boi! Your comments have been great, please feel free to let me know what you think. ^^


	4. Stupid sexy elf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roche felt comfortable, more comfortable than he should do in his enemies embrace. He was mildly annoyed that the stupid elf had thrown his chaperone away. It was strange having cool air on his head. But, now that he had this much skin contact with Iorveth, the pain and delirium were subsiding. He could finally feel the tension in his body ebb away. He let out a deep sigh and relaxed even further into Iorveth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things heat up a little in this chapter ^^ I have been living for all your comments. I am really glad you are enjoying this.

Roche felt comfortable, more comfortable than he should do in his enemies embrace. He was mildly annoyed that the stupid elf had thrown his chaperone away. It was strange having cool air on his head. But, now that he had this much skin contact with Iorveth, the pain and delirium were subsiding. He could finally feel the tension in his body ebb away. He let out a deep sigh and relaxed even further into Iorveth.

He just floated for a while, but as the haze cleared he became slowly more and more aware of the elf’s warm breath on his neck. The feeling sent a shiver through him. He was starting to become painfully aware of the elf’s thighs around his sides. An image of those thighs wrapped around him entered Roche’s mind. Fuck, even thinking of that felt good. Gods he wanted, but no, he couldn’t. He pushed the thought from his mind only for it to be replaced by another thought of what it would feel like to bury his face between them. Now that thought, that thought had all the blood in his upper body heading south. Fuck. He was glad he was facing away from Iorveth so that he couldn’t see what was starting to become a prominent bulge in his hose. Despite this, he could still feel a flush rising on his neck. Stupid sexy elf! Could this not have happened with literally anyone else? He tried to stay very still as he willed away his highly incriminating erection. 

“You’re starting to sweat again, is the pain getting worse?” Iorveth asked, his lips were so close to Roche’s ear that he could feel every word against his exposed neck. Roche felt his whole body shiver. 

“No! I’m fine, it’s fine.” Roche said a little too quickly. 

“If you’re in pain there is no point suffering for no reason. We are already in this stupid fucking situation. Now, tell me honestly do you need more?” Iorveth said sternly.

“No no, I’m fine, honestly. It’s fine.” Roche stuttered, hoping desperately that the elf would drop it.

“Suit yourself.” the elf sighed as he readjusted himself against Roche’s back.

Roche took in several deep breaths and tried to will away his arousal. By the Gods, this was humiliating, not only was this venom making him act pathetically needy it was also revealing his long-repressed attraction to his enemy. Could this get any worse? He tried to think of something else, something unappealing: the smell of Finch’s socks, the way Fenn picked his teeth after every meal… the thought of what Foltest would think if he knew Roche’s dirty secret... 

Ok... he had it under control now. He just had to not think about it. He sat and focussed just on his breathing, feeling his breath enter and leave his body. It was kind of soothing actually, which was just as well as Roche could feel the beginnings of the pain seep in.

He tried to keep his mind on his breath, but slowly the pain became more and more apparent. It made him feel restless like there was a strange itch under his skin that he couldn’t scratch. He realised belatedly that he had started whimpering as he fidgeted in Iorveth’s lap. Iorveth stiffened and grabbed onto Roche to still him.

“Calm down dh’oine. You’re squashing me.” he hissed in Roche’s ear. 

“But it huuuurts.” Roche whined, not caring how his voice sounded. He was so frustrated with his own body that he dearly wanted to crawl out his own skin. 

“I know, but hurting me isn’t going to help the pain be less.” Iorveth said. He then reached up and started stroking through Roche’s hair gently in an attempt to soothe him. “There, does that help?” Roche simply hummed in response as the contact helped the pain slip away.

Roche secretly loved having his hair touched, with the added relief from the venom’s pain it became an almost euphoric experience. Pleasure dripped like honey down his body from where Iorveth’s fingers touched his scalp. He felt himself melt like a puddle into the elf, his whole body weak to how good the elf’s fingers felt. He nuzzled into the contact, desperately wanting more. In the back of his mind, he registered that he was basically acting like a dog that wanted a head scratch but right now it just didn’t seem to matter. It felt good and that’s all his mind let him focus on. 

“You like that, huh? Who knew the famously vicious Commander of the Blue Stripes liked having his ears scratched like a dog?” Iorveth scoffed, now scratching lightly over his scalp with his small pointed nails. 

“Fuck off elf...feels good.” Roche groaned. “See?” With that Roche reached behind him and started to stroke at the back of Iorveth’s neck. The elf’s bandana was mostly in the way so Roche slipped his fingers underneath it and began to stroke at the hair there. The elf stiffened at the contact and made a noise that unless Roche was mistaken sounded a lot like a whimper. That noise, it sent a wave of arousal through Roche. He wanted to make the elf make that noise again. He slipped his fingers further under the bandana until it slipped off. Iorveth surprisingly didn’t utter a word of protest. Roche simply heard him swallow and take in a ragged breath as Roche stroked through the elf’s hair more fully. “See?” Roche said smugly. “S’good.”

Roche revelled in the pleasure, pressing himself back into Iorveth until he felt something against his back, something more solid than rest of Iorveth’s thighs. Was that? Roche wasn’t sure what elves had between their legs, let alone what they felt like. But the idea that that could be Iorveth’s cock against his back sent a shiver of pleasure through Roche. The elf, Roche noted, had been fairly rigid and still since Roche had started stroking his hair. For the first time since the elf had started touching Roche’s hair, Roche took a moment to consider the position he was in: sprawled in the elf’s lap like a favoured pet with his fingers tangled in the elf’s hair; and the elf was letting him, had his own fingers buried in Roche’s hair even. And now he could feel what could well be the elf’s cock pressed into his back. Was this real? This situation was unbelievable almost. 

Roche could feel arousal wash over him again, sweat started to prickle across his body. He had stayed still against Iorveth as soon as he had noticed the bulge pressed against his back. Was Iorveth hard? Was he just imagining it? What if he moved? Would he be able to tell if it was in fact Iorveth’s cock? 

He was just about to grind back into Iorveth when the pain started to bubble up once more. It started as a sick prickling tingle in his toes and shot up all the nerves in his legs and made him double over in pain. He let out a pained gasp and curled in on himself. Fuck, it was worse this time. So much worse. He could feel his eyes already watering. Gods, how much worse could this fucking venom get? He felt like he was losing his mind. He had certainly already lost his dignity. For a moment he was lost to the pain, completely unaware of his surroundings. All that existed was spasms of pain ricocheting round his body.

“Vernon! Vernon? Are you with me?” Iorveth’s voice sounded distantly and through the haze of pain he could make the elf out in front of him. There were hands on his face, but he couldn’t really focus on anything except pain. “Vernon? I think I need to undress you further. Are you ok with me doing that?” It took a few minutes for the words to register, but when they did he nodded with a whimper.

He was vaguely aware of Iorveth taking off his boots and hose, and then some more moving around. All he knew was Iorveth just wasn’t touching him enough and he  _ needed _ it. He was reduced to making pathetic whimpers until suddenly Iorveth pulled him close again. The contact had an immediate effect and Roche let himself fall into it. 

Iorveth pulled him down to lie on top of him. With both their skin seemingly bare the amount of contact flooded Roche’s system with a soothing release of relief. He gripped onto Iorveth and pressed his face into Iorveth’s chest. The elf smelt sweet and earthy, like the forest after it rained, he pressed in close and let the smell of his surround him. It was like every breath soothed his soul. Finally, sweet relief. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did Iorveth have an awkward boner? Find out in the next chapter xD


	5. Stupid sexy dh'oine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iorveth could feel the dampness spreading and fuck, his cock hardening. He held very still willing the dh’oine not to notice. But damn him, the fucking asshole had to start wriggling and moaning in his lap. Iorveth squeezed his eyes shut, this honestly couldn’t get any worse. Then all of a sudden, Roche stopped, lying still against him. Fuck. Had he noticed? Iorveth prayed that he hadn’t. By the stars, please let him not notice. Iorveth wasn’t sure he could cope with that. This situation was already fucked up enough. But, Roche let out a pained noise instead and then curled forwards whining. Iorveth could see the muscles in his back twitch as they spasmed with pain. Fuck, it must be getting worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun with this chapter...I hope you enjoy ^^

This was fresh hell. Iorveth had only meant to help relieve the situation, he had started stroking the dh’oine’s hair just because it was in easy reach. It was true that he had been staring at it for several long minutes...but that was beside the point. He hadn’t thought through what an intimate gesture it was until to stupid fucking dh’oine had reached behind him and started stroking at Iorveth’s hair. Fuck, he even pushed off his bandana, not that Iorveth had the brain space to care with the dh’oine’s strong fingers stroking the hair at the back of his head. Iorveth knew he had already let out an embarrassing sounding whimper and it took all his self-control not to all-out moan.

Between having Roche essentially in his lap and having Roche’s fingers in his hair, Iorveth could feel himself getting wet. He tried to will away the building sensation of arousal between his legs. It was absolutely not ok to be getting so aroused over a dh’oine...especially this dh’oine. Why did Iorveth have to start the hair touching? This situation was awkward enough to begin with and now the dh’oine had his fingers twisted in Iorveth’s hair like they were lovers, and wasn’t that a thought. Images of what it would be like to have Roche as a lover flashed through his mind, their naked bodies entwined, their lips pressed together sweetly. Iorveth grit his teeth and forced the image away. What made this whole situation worse was that Roche was seemingly oblivious to how this looked. He seemed perfectly relaxed and content with the situation, and that was it...the situation was that Roche was only here like this because of the venom. He wouldn’t be here like this otherwise. He wouldn’t want to touch Iorveth this way otherwise. But fuck, it felt good, too good. Stupid sexy dh’oine.

Iorveth could feel the dampness spreading and fuck, his cock hardening. He held very still willing the dh’oine not to notice. But damn him, the fucking asshole had to start wriggling and moaning in his lap. Iorveth squeezed his eyes shut, this honestly couldn’t get any worse. Then all of a sudden, Roche stopped, lying still against him. Fuck. Had he noticed? Iorveth prayed that he hadn’t. By the stars, please let him not notice. Iorveth wasn’t sure he could cope with that. This situation was already fucked up enough. But, Roche let out a pained noise instead and then curled forwards whining. Iorveth could see the muscles in his back twitch as they spasmed with pain. Fuck, it must be getting worse. 

“Vernon! Vernon? Are you with me?” Iorveth said softly, shaking the human gently. He pulled Roche round so he could hold his face. He looked entirely vacant, his forehead drawn in a deep frown of pain. He needed more contact, the venom was likely peaking. “Vernon? I think I need to undress you further. Are you ok with me doing that?” Roche just seemed to look straight past him. Iorveth shook him gently again and then the words seemed to register. Roche nodded and let out another pained noise.

Iorveth set to work removing both of their boots and hose. It was difficult to do while still maintaining a good level of contact. Roche clung to him weakly as Iorveth finally removed his own hose. Roche looked awful; his expression was pained and his skin was pale and covered in a sheen of sweat. Iorveth pulled him close, pressing them together as he laid them back down. Roche ended up sprawled on top of him. Roche moaned and pressed his face into Iorveth’s chest, taking in several deep breaths. Iorveth could feel his tense body start to relax against him as the contact brought relief. Iorveth sighed, glad that it seemed to be working. It was only at this point he realised the situation they were in; entirely naked and pressed together. Fuck.

In all the commotion of Roche having another bad wave of pain, Iorveth’s erection had flagged but pressed together like this, there was no way Roche wouldn’t notice if it came back. Iorveth tried to force his mind to focus on other things. He could keep control, he could. If only the dh’oine would stop stroking his chest like that. It had started as the dh’oine just moving his thumb in slow circles, but as Iorveth said nothing the dh’oine seemed to take that as permission to keep going. First gently tracing shapes with his fingers, then gently squeezing with his whole hand. Iorveth knew it was just the venom, but he couldn’t get the image of Roche’s hands touching him like that as they rutted against each other in the throws of a heavenly fuck. He grit his teeth, he could feel himself getting wet again and this time there was nothing between himself and Roche. Thank the stars Roche was on top of him otherwise he would be dripping on him by now. Why was he like this? Was he broken? Why was he so turned on by a fucking dh’oine wrapped around him? Especially one that, by all accounts, was only here because of cursed insect venom. 

“You ok?” Roche asked shifting so he was looking up at Iorveth. The words shocked Iorveth out of his thoughts and he looked back at Roche not really taking the question in fully.

“Err yeah?” Iorveth replied, feeling a bit disorientated by the question. Why was Roche asking if he was ok?

“It’s just...you’re gripping my shoulder pretty hard.” Roche said, indicating the shoulder Iorveth was in fact gripping rather hard.

“Oh. Sorry.” Iorveth let go quickly and placed his hand at his side awkwardly. 

Now they were both just left staring at each other, naked...in each other's arms. Iorveth knew he should look away but he just couldn’t. Roche looked so different like this, his auburn curls tousled and his usually hard brown eyes soft and wide. He was so close to Iorveth’s face, his nose about level with Iorveth’s chin, he could feel his warm breath flutter against his neck. Damn the stars, like this, he was actually quite...well calling Vernon Fucking Roche anything approaching pretty made bile want to rise in Iorveth’s throat...but like this, like this, he could maybe think to use that word. 

They stared at each other and the world seemed to slow down around them, the air filled with a strange electric tension. Iorveth swallowed and bit his lip. He watched as Roche’s gaze followed the movement and fixed on Iorveth’s lips for a long minute and then back up to meet Iorveth’s eye. Everything seemed to happen both too quickly and in slow motion at the same time. He felt Roche’s body weight shift as he pushed up to press his lips to Iorveth’s. Iorveth made no move to stop him, because fuck he wanted to know what that felt like. 

When their lips met, he felt warmth spread out through him from the touch. Roche’s lips were soft but had a certain roughness to them that spoke of someone who spent a lot of time in harsh weather. This close Iorveth could smell him, a warm kind of smell that was kind of like leather and warm bodies but also not quite, it was richer and headier somehow. Iorveth moved his lips slowly against Roche’s and felt him press even closer with a small whine. Their noses brushed as they both sank deeper into the highly inadvisable kiss, but Iorveth had no room in his mind to think about that. His whole world at that moment was where his lips met Vernon’s and the way they slid together like somehow they had done this before. Iorveth felt lightheaded with it. He felt one of Roche’s hands slide up into his hair again. The sensation sent an intense shiver of pleasure through his body and he pulled Roche closer to him as he deepened the kiss. Roche moaned and pressed closer, teasing Iorveth’s bottom lip between his own. The drag of Roche’s lip against the skin below Iorveth’s mouth sent shocks of pleasure shooting down Iorveth’s spine. Iorveth pressed even deeper into the kiss, turning his head so they could slot together more easily. With both their mouths open their tongues met tentatively, Roche’s tongue hot and thick against Iorveth’s longer pointier one. They touched tentatively at first, but the more they breathed each other in the more insistent and passionate the kiss became.

They both melted into each other, a meeting of lips, tongues and sometimes teeth. An exchange of hot breath and moans captured in each other's mouths. Their hands moved freely over each other, a hot press of skin on skin, body on body, nothing between them. Iorveth forgot where they were, forgot who they were. They were just two people lost in sensation and each other. It was only when Roche drew back enough to draw breath fully and look down at Iorveth that the whole world came rushing back. It wasn’t just anyone above him, it wasn’t just a pleasant warm body, it wasn’t a lover...it was Vernon Fucking Roche. Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhhh no Iorveth....what happens now?


	6. With pleasure...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kiss felt magical, almost dream-like. Roche had been in and out of feeling delirious for the last few hours, so for a long while he almost thought the kiss was some kind of fever dream. He couldn’t actually be kissing Iorveth could he? Iorveth would never let him do that, right? Yet...here he was, hands in Iorveth’s hair their lips locked together. Secretly, he had thought about what this would feel like many times, but those thoughts paled in comparison to the reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's about to get steamy up in here... I hope you enjoy ^^

Staring up at the elf’s face had Roche enchanted. He felt slightly high from the relief the contact had given him and seeing Iorveth naked without even his bandana just did something to him. He had never seen the elf without it and had always been curious. Now that he could clearly see the scarring and the missing eye, he found it quite beautiful in its own way. The damage done by the spear must have been extensive and painful. It was a wonder that he had survived and yet here Iorveth was, alive and bare before him. His remaining eye was a shade of bright gold that you never saw naturally in human eyes, the colour of fresh spring leaves. 

Roche was suddenly aware of how close their faces were. He watched the elf’s throat move as Iorveth swallowed. Roche followed the movement then looked back up, staring at Iorveth’s lips. Gods he wanted to know what they felt like. The thought had barely crossed his mind when he felt himself move closer until those lips were beneath his. 

The kiss felt magical, almost dream-like. Roche had been in and out of feeling delirious for the last few hours, so for a long while he almost thought the kiss was some kind of fever dream. He couldn’t actually be kissing Iorveth could he? Iorveth would never let him do that, right? Yet...here he was, hands in Iorveth’s hair their lips locked together. Secretly, he had thought about what this would feel like many times, but those thoughts paled in comparison to the reality.

The elf’s body felt cool and soft against his own, his lips were firm yet delicate and Gods his tongue, it was so noticeably not human. It felt longer and more tapered and Roche wanted more of it. He sunk deeper into the kiss and just lost himself in it. His hands moved in Iorveth’s hair, it was so unimaginably soft, was all elven hair like this or was it just Iorveth? He buried his fingers in it deeper and felt the elf moan into his mouth. He chased that moan until he was almost out of breath. Roche pulled back and looked down at Iorveth beneath him, there was a blush high on his cheeks and his hair was now tousled around his face from where Roche’s fingers were twined in it.

“Fuck.” Roche breathed, a smile tugging at his lips. “That was…” Iorveth looked back at him, frowning. That didn’t bode well.

“A mistake. Just the venom fucking with your head.” Iorveth whispered, turning his face away from Roche. A mistake? The venom? It took Roche’s brain a few seconds to catch up. The pain was so far away now he had completely forgotten about it.

“Oh...errr the pain isn’t bad at all now actually. That wasn’t...I mean...this isn’t about the venom.” Roche faltered and came to a halt, at a loss with how to continue that thought.

“What do you mean it isn’t about the venom? Why else would you...do that?” Iorveth turned to give him a hard stare. How did he manage to look so haughty even when laid out naked beneath him? Must be a talent of his. Fuck and he was in it now wasn’t he? He wanted to keep kissing...but this was still Iorveth...it was still his enemy and that was kinda fucked up. But then Iorveth had kissed him back, and he didn’t have insect venom as an excuse. So fuck it, no point holding back now.

“I mean the venom didn’t make me want to kiss you.” Roche said clearly, holding the elf’s gaze. Iorveth’s face went through several inscrutable facial expressions before he just looked up at Roche in confusion.

“Why?” Iorveth asked. Roche huffed out a frustrated sigh.

“What do you mean ‘why’? Isn’t it obvious? I thought elves were supposed to be clever?” Roche said, shaking his head.

“I mean why would you want to kiss  _ me _ . By all accounts I’m your enemy, shouldn’t you want to kill me?” Iorveth retorted.

“I could ask you the same thing? You could have left me to die a horrible painful death, yet here we are...” Roche said, giving Iorveth a pointed look. Iorveth glared up at him. He looked like he was about to say something in return. “You kissed me back.” Roche interrupted before Iorveth could say anything. He looked down at Iorveth, grinning tauntingly.

Whatever Iorveth had been going to say died in his mouth and what came out instead was a growled: “Fuck you, dh’oine.”

“I mean...is that an option?” Roche said, laughing and pressing a patronising kiss to the elf’s nose. Iorveth snarled in return and Roche snorted as the elf pushed up and flipped them over, pushing Roche into the dirt hard. Roche struggled in the elf’s pin but managed to get enough leverage to roll them over once again. They continued to tussle like that using any means to best the other: snarling, biting, pulling at each other’s hair, scratching. By the time they came to stop, with Iorveth on top again, Roche was achingly hard. He could sense the edges of the venom’s pain drawing in again but at this point, they were easy to ignore. All his focus was on the elf above him, arousal fierce and hot in his system. 

Roche reached up and with a snarl pulled the elf closer by his hair and crushed their mouths together once more. Iorveth responded in kind, his sharp teeth nipping at Roche’s lips. This kiss was so different from the first, it was hungry and passionate. Instead of floaty Roche felt present, he could feel every part of Iorveth that was pressed to him. He could feel Iorveth’s thighs where they straddled his hips, he could feel where their chests met, could feel the softness of the elf’s hair in his fingers, could feel a wetness drip on him from the elf’s crotch. Was that? Fuck. Roche’s breath caught, he was already so hard, but at every drop of wetness, his cock twitched. Slowly, he pushed his hips up to meet Iorveth’s.

When their hips met Roche could feel what definitely felt like a cock pressing against him. It felt nothing like a human cock, it seemed to have ridges and it was dripping wet. Roche moaned at the thought and ground up more purposefully, pressing his own erection alongside Iorveth’s. Iorveth made a noise that was somewhere between a growl and a whine and met Roche’s hips with his own. 

"Fuck. You're wanting it just as bad as me...and you weren't even bitten." Roche breathed, grinding up into the elf again.

“Shut the fuck up dh’oine.” Iorveth growled.

“Make me.” Roche taunted.

“With pleasure.” Iorveth said as he caught Roche’s lips in another searing kiss, while expertly grinding his hips into Roche’s. Roche let out what could only be classed as a whimper, not that he would let the elf call it that. Feeling Iorveth’s body against his own felt unbelievably good. Part of that might have been the venom, but Roche had had too many embarrassingly filthy dreams involving scenarios not dissimilar to this for that to account for much. He ran his hands down the elf’s body, enjoying feeling the outline of his ribs and the taut muscles in his back. Roche wrapped his arms tighter around Iorveth and pulled him closer, meeting every one of his thrusts. Iorveth was so wet, whatever he had down there was producing some kind of slick and it felt amazing as their cocks slid against each other. 

“You’re so wet.” Roche murmured against Iorveth’s lips. The elf groaned and tightened the grip he had in Roche’s hair. The sweet-sharp tug on his scalp had Roche moaning and arching more into Iorveth. Iorveth then buried his face in Roche’s neck and began kissing him there. The sensation sent sharp bursts of pleasure through Roche. His body tensed, it was almost too much. He felt slightly wild with lust, he wanted Iorveth, wanted him anyway the elf would have him. He didn't care how fucked up it was, he just wanted it.

Roche growled and pushed up into Iorveth, rolling them over again. He was now between the elf’s thighs, Iorveth legs spread wide. Roche kissed down Iorveth’s jaw feverishly savouring every taste of salt sweet skin. He carried on down Iorveth’s neck and then across his delicate collarbone and down this chest. Slowly, he knelt up and looked at Iorveth spread before him. He looked so different like this, still his fierce self, but kind of vulnerable too with his hair tousled and his chest heaving. Roche’s gaze drifted down taking in Iorveth’s cock for the first time. It was long and tapered, with ridges all along its length. It glistened with slick and Roche’s mouth watered at the sight. Iorveth didn’t appear to have balls at the base of his cock like a human would, instead he had what looked to be a cunt...Fuck. Roche stared, entranced.    


“I’ve never seen an elf...like this before.” Roche said, voice barely above a whisper. He looked up at Iorveth’s face. “Can I...touch you?”

“By the stars do you ever stop fucking talking?” Iorveth muttered, but there was a slightly frantic edge to his voice. “Of course you can fucking touch me.” he said louder.

Roche reached out and gently ran his fingers up the elf’s cock. Iorveth shuddered at the touch, his cock twitching. The skin there was soft a supple as Roche ran his fingers across it, the slick felt silky and warm. Roche felt himself shiver as he let his fingers slip lower. He stroked them ever so lightly over the lips of Iorveth’s cunt. Iorveth let out a moan and Roche watched his thighs twitch as Roche gently ran his fingers up and down Iorveth’s opening. He was so wet there that Roche’s fingers were quickly coated with it. Without thinking Roche brought his fingers to his mouth and tasted them, The flavour was a mixture of salt, sweet and something earthy that was nothing like the taste of humans down there. He hummed with pleasure as he pulled his fingers from his mouth. He heard Iorveth’s breath catch and he looked down to see him stare hungrily at Roche’s fingers in a way that made Roche shiver. He bit back a moan and went back to exploring Iorveth with his fingers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have loved getting your comments! Thanks so much for taking the time.


	7. Your...your mouth...fuck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iorveth let himself drift on the sensations of Roche's fingers. His world narrowed to the feeling of where Roche’s fingers met his cunt. Everything was sensation and heat, his body wandered into a state somewhere between tension and being totally slack. It was intense but he wanted more, he pushed his hips deliberately into Roche’s touch. Iorveth heard him let out a low breathy chuckle as he started to tease Iorveth’s lips more deliberately. After a brief pause, Iorveth felt the touch of Roche’s other hand on his cock. Iorveth moaned and his back arched at the combined sensation on both his cock and his cunt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo...this chapter is just smut... I hope you enjoy xD

Iorveth was totally lost in the dh’oine and he wasn’t entirely sure how they had ended up here. How in the stars had his ambush on Roche led him to be naked on the forest floor with the dh’oine’s hand on his cock? What foul trickery had brought them here? And why in the heavens did it feel so unreasonably good? Roche’s touch was so light it sent sparks of pleasure through him that made his legs twitch involuntarily. Iorveth could hear himself moaning but did not have the brainpower to moderate the sounds he was making, all his focus was on Roche and what he was doing with his fingers. He watched as Roche brought the fingers that had just been touching Iorveth’s cunt with to his mouth, hungrily tasting the slick they were coated in. Something about this just did something to Iorveth, his breath caught and he stared longingly at the fingers he wished would bury themselves in him again. Roche caught his eye and silently got back to his exploring.

Iorveth let himself drift on the sensations of Roche's fingers. His world narrowed to the feeling of where Roche’s fingers met his cunt. Everything was sensation and heat, his body wandered into a state somewhere between tension and being totally slack. It was intense but he wanted more, he pushed his hips deliberately into Roche’s touch. Iorveth heard him let out a low breathy chuckle as he started to tease Iorveth’s lips more deliberately. After a brief pause, Iorveth felt the touch of Roche’s other hand on his cock. Iorveth moaned and his back arched at the combined sensation on both his cock and his cunt.

Roche’s fingers felt so hot against him, they felt thick and rough in a way elven fingers did not. His warm bulk between Iorveth’s thighs felt so very human that Iorveth couldn’t fully lose himself in it. What was he doing letting Roche touch him this way? This man had ruthlessly killed so many elves, thwarted countless Scoia’tael missions and been a key upholder of the oppression of his people; and here Iorveth was laid out naked before the dh’oine moaning at his touch. But there was something about Roche, Iorveth couldn’t quite put his finger on what. He had always been weirdly drawn to the dh’oine, from the first time they had met. He had always chalked it up to the fact the dh’oine was actually a challenge as an enemy, a worthy opponent. It thrilled Iorveth to outwit him or catch him off guard. It made planning a raid or ambush more exciting knowing he had to outwit Vernon Roche. Fuck, and here he was with that human between his thighs. Perhaps he wasn't just drawn to the fact that Roche was a worthy opponent...

Roche slipped his fingers softly into Iorveth, bringing him back to the present with a gasp. Iorveth felt himself clench around them and heard Roche let out a moan at the sensation. He looked up and saw that Roche was staring at him with a hungry look in his eyes. Iorveth bit his lip as they held each other's gaze for several long minutes. Roche kept his fingers moving throughout, expertly moving them in and out of Iorveth. Iorveth felt himself start to pant and his legs begin to twitch. Roche pressed closer and moved so his thumb was gently teasing Iorveth’s clit. Iorveth lost himself in the overwhelming wave of pleasure of it. He ground his hips into Roche’s touch and closed his eyes as incoherent noises fell from his lips.

“Fuck, Iorveth.” Roche said breathily. Shortly after, Iorveth felt Roche’s fingers leave him, and he absolutely did not whine at their loss. He opened his eyes to see where Roche was going only to see him sink closer down before wrapping his arms around Iorveth’s thighs and pulling him to his face. 

The first touch of Roche’s tongue between his legs made Iorveth gasp, like the rest of him, his tongue felt hot against the elf’s relative coolness. The slow drag of it along his lips had Iorveth moaning helplessly. Roche kept his pace gentle and slow to start, all Iorveth could focus on was the feeling of Roche’s tongue on him. It was maddening, so good but not nearly enough. Iorveth could feel himself start to sweat from the exertion of not just grinding straight into Roche’s face. When he just couldn’t take it anymore he grabbed at Vernon’s hair and tugged, trying to convey what he needed without words. He felt more than heard Roche groan, and with that Roche buried himself between Iorveth’s legs. He traced Iorveth’s clit with his tongue and sucked on his lips, every movement of his mouth and tongue deliberate and intense. 

“Fuck Vernon. Your...your mouth...fuck nnngh.” Iorveth found himself babbling. His thighs clenched around Roche’s head, causing the human to moan into him once more. Iorveth could feel pleasure building in him in waves. Fuck, the dh’oine was going to make him come...and come hard by the feel of it. Iorveth flung his head back against the ground and let himself just focus on just the pure sensation. He felt Roche move and suddenly there was a hand around his cock and fingers pressing inside him. The combination of all three points of contact was almost overwhelming. Iorveth’s back arched and he felt his whole body tense as Roche brought him to an intense high point of pleasure and somehow held him there as his muscles spasmed, his cunt clenched around Roche’s fingers and his hands clawed uselessly at the mossy floor beneath them. 

As he felt the tension break he could feel himself gush all over Roche’s face. Roche groaned and nuzzled his face into Iorveth, lapping it up. Iorveth’s whole body felt like it was made of jelly, all the tension had been washed from it. As he slumped into the ground, his fingers, nose and toes started to tingle. Had Roche just made him come so hard his extremities had gone numb? Wasn’t that a thought? Thoughts...he had those right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love all your comments, I am so glad you are enjoying it ^^


	8. I like you like this

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I want you like this, want you close.” Roche whispered, still holding the elf’s gaze. Iorveth groaned and pressed forward to kiss Roche. He could feel the elf hard and slick against him. Roche slipped one arm around the elf’s waist and one into his hair, pulling Iorveth’s body close so he could grind up into him. Iorveth moaned into his mouth, gripping his arms around Roche’s shoulders and meeting his thrusts in a slick slow grind that had them both short of breath. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't think you can blame it on the venom any more lads...

Roche never wanted to move his face from between Iorveth’s thighs. The elf tasted divine and he was so reactive to every movement of Roche’s tongue. When Iorveth tightened his thighs around Roche’s head, Roche felt a shiver of arousal go straight to his cock. Feeling the elf come apart under his touch was thrilling and he wanted to see how far he could push the elf. Just what sounds could he draw from Iorveth? He needed to know. He brought his hands in to join his tongue. He wanted the elf to completely unravel before him. He could have almost come himself watching the elf’s body tense, arch and release, and then the feeling of the gush of juices down his face. He nuzzled his face deeper, he wanted to drown in it, the taste was just exquisite. As he felt Iorveth’s body go slack, Roche drew back to admire his work. Iorveth lay sprawled before him, his eyes, dazed and his hair a mess. There were distinct marks in the ground where Iorveth had clawed at it. Roche felt a shiver of arousal go through him. He did that. Him.

After spending a good few minutes staring at Iorveth in his post-orgasm haze just taking him in, Roche felt a surge of want push him forward. He held himself over Iorveth, the elf’s legs tangled around him. The elf’s body felt warm and heavy against his, like a cat that had been asleep in the sun. He looked down at Iorveth, he had his eye closed and was still breathing heavily. He looked so fucked out, his hair all over the place, his lips pink from being bitten. Roche leaned in closer, he just had to taste that mouth again. The kiss seemed to shock Iorveth out of his haze, at first his lips moved slowly against Roche’s. But, as soon as Iorveth tasted himself all over Roche’s face, he pushed up into the kiss hungrily, dipping his tongue into Roche’s mouth as if chasing it. Roche felt the rumbles of a sound that could have been a growl or purr from Iorveth’s chest. 

“Like the taste of yourself do you?” Roche said grinning against Iorveth’s lips. 

“Maybe...you seem to like it pretty well judging by that performance.” Iorveth said with a smirk.

“I didn’t hear you complaining. In fact, I believe what I heard was  _ Fuck Vernon. Your...your mouth _ .” Roche said doing a mocking imitation of the elf’s voice. He watched with great amusement as the elf blushed and jabbed him the ribs.

“Fuck you dh’oine. I’ll show you.” the elf growled as he pushed up into Roche, slamming him into the ground surprisingly hard. Elven strength was no joke it would seem. Roche found he rather liked knowing that the elf was stronger than he was. 

Before he could scramble off his back, Iorveth had flipped him over onto his stomach. Roche huffed out a chuckle as the wind was slightly knocked out of him. Iorveth moved up his body, caging him in. Roche felt a shiver go through him. Iorveth pinning him like this felt deliciously vulnerable. The elf bent closer until his mouth was right next to Roche’s ear. Roche could feel the elf’s breath tickle his neck. Having his back to his enemy really should have felt unsafe, he should feel on edge, but under Iorveth like this, he just felt unbearably aroused.

“I like you like this.” Iorveth said quietly into his ear before pressing his lips there. Roche let out a ragged breath, every touch of Iorveth’s lips to his ear and neck sending little jolts of pleasure through him. Iorveth pressed closer and continued kissing Roche’s neck. Roche couldn’t help but arch into the contact. He could feel Iorveth smile against his skin as he slowly started kissing along first one shoulder blade and then the other. He began slipping lower, running his hands over Roche’s shoulders as he went. He sat up slowly, stroking down Roche’s sides as he did. Roche moaned and tried to push into the contact as much as possible. 

Iorveth’s hands stopped just above his hips. He knelt so his thighs sat just below the swell of Roche’s ass. Roche desperately wanted him to move his touch lower. He wriggled his hips slightly, trying a silent plea for more. He heard Iorveth chuckle as he moved his hands lower, stroking over the swell of his ass before squeezing first one cheek and then the other. Roche pulled in a sharp breath. From this position, all he could think of was the elf taking him like this, plunging into him roughly and pinning him to the floor. He could feel his cock twitch underneath him. He wondered what Iorveth was going to do, was he going to take him like this?

Iorveth’s hands were now taking their time exploring Roche’s body; stroking up and down his back, running fingers lightly over his hips and kneading and squeezing at his ass. After some time exploring he ran his hands back down to Roche’s ass and gently pulled Roche’s cheeks apart. The night air felt cool against his now exposed hole. Roche bit his lip to stop a girlish gasp escaping him. He felt exposed and vulnerable, it should have made him feel uncomfortable to be this way around his enemy, but somehow it just made him feel hotter and more aroused. He wanted more, wanted Iorveth to touch him more.

Iorveth slipped back further and pushed Roche up onto his knees. Roche let himself be manhandled. Part of him almost wanted to fight back out of principle, but a larger part of him wanted Iorveth to do whatever he wanted with him. Iorveth was now running his hands over his thighs and Roche almost melted into the forest floor. It felt so good. Iorveth pushed his thighs wider so Roche was ass up, legs spread. He then started exploring the sensitive skin of Roche’s inner thighs. It was all Roche could do not to grind back in a desperate plea to be fucked.

Iorveth’s fingers kept exploring further, lightly stroking over first Roche’s balls and then his cock. Roche gasped at the contact, he had been hard and dripping ever since he had made Iorveth come. Now, Iorveth’s cool touch made him feel desperate for more contact. When Iorveth placed a kiss to one of his asscheeks, Roche’s breath hitched, he had ideas about where he wanted that mouth. Iorveth pressed a second gentle kiss to the other cheek and ran his hands back up Roche’s side. Roche sighed at the touch, the venom was still lingering in the background making every touch feel like the sweetest relief. 

Without warning, Iorveth tensed his fingers at the top of Roche’s back and dragged them down, digging his nails in as he went. The scratches weren’t deep, but the delicious pleasure-pain they drew from Roche had him cursing. He could hear Iorveth chuckle behind him as he pulled Roche’s cheeks apart once more. Roche could feel his cool breath close to his asshole, he shivered and squirmed slightly. He felt more than heard Iorveth laugh again before his tongue darted out to lick over Roche’s hole. 

Roche let out a strangled noise at the feel of Iorveth’s tongue on him. The deep shiver of pleasure it released went straight to his core. Iorveth continued to lick at him and Roche’s legs started to feel weak. The tapered inhuman feeling tongue teased at Roche’s rim and all Roche could do was whimper. 

Iorveth’s arms slipped under his thighs and lifted him up so Roche’s chest lay on the ground and his hips were pulled close to Iorveth’s face. Once again he could feel the inhuman strength in the elf’s body, lifting him up like it was nothing. He shivered with arousal and moaned into the floor. He felt like a scruffed kitten, like his body had just involuntarily stopped working. The cool sweeps of Iorveth’s tongue made his cock twitch with every swipe. The sensation was almost maddening, overwhelmingly good but not enough to make him come. Roche whined and dug his fingers into the mossy ground beneath him. 

Iorveth kept him like that for what felt like hours but could have been mere minutes as Roche’s brain felt like it had stopped working. He had been reduced to a panting moaning heap completely at the elf’s mercy. It felt incredible but by this point, Roche was desperate to come. 

“Iorveth, fuck. I...I need.” Roche definitely did not whine. Iorveth pulled away from his work, his breath sounding slightly ragged.

“What do you need dh’oine?” Iorveth said, a smirk evident in his voice. Roche tried to get his mind to string words together.

“Fuck Iorveth, I need...I want to come...please.” Roche managed to get out, he was already missing Iorveth’s mouth.

“I think that’s the first time I have ever heard a dh’oine use the word please.” Iorveth said mockingly. With surprising ease, he flipped Roche over in his hold. Roche now found himself on his back looking up at Iorveth holding his hips. The elf’s face was flushed and he could see the sheen of saliva across his lips and chin. He found himself wanting to kiss it. Iorveth flashed him a smile before licking a long stripe up Roche’s cock. 

“Fuck.” Roche moaned as Iorveth took the head of his cock in his mouth. The elf’s mouth felt so good around him, cool and slick...and his tongue. All Roche could do was stare up at the elf as he worked Roche over with his mouth. Even in some of his filthier dreams, he had not pictured anything like this. The elf’s hair loose and wild, his eye closed, a blush high on his cheeks. Roche used every bit of available brainpower, which admittedly right now wasn’t much, to burn this image into his mind for later. 

The way Iorveth moved his lips and tongue felt unlike anything Roche had felt before. Partly because his tongue just felt so different from a human tongue. It could almost wrap around him and Roche felt weak for the sensation. He watched Iorveth’s head move with every slide down Roche’s cock, his mouth felt dry and he felt hot all over. Pleasure was pooling in his groin as his orgasm began to build. 

After a particularly delicious feeling swipe of his tongue, Iorveth opened his eye and looked straight at Roche, the head of Roche’s cock still in his mouth. Roche felt a wave of pure arousal through him. He bit his lip hard to try keep himself from coming right there. He was so close now. They stared at each other like that for several long moments. Roche felt weak-looking into his eye like that. He desperately wanted to be closer, to be able to touch and kiss the elf’s face. He didn’t want to come like this, He wanted Iorveth close, wanted to see and feel the elf’s pleasure at the same time.

He moaned and wiggled his hips free of the elf’s hold, and sat up, slipping his arms around the elf’s neck. He laid back pulling Iorveth down with him, so the elf ended up straddling his hips. 

“I want you like this, want you close.” Roche whispered, still holding the elf’s gaze. Iorveth groaned and pressed forward to kiss Roche. He could feel the elf hard and slick against him. Roche slipped one arm around the elf’s waist and one into his hair, pulling Iorveth’s body close so he could grind up into him. Iorveth moaned into his mouth, gripping his arms around Roche’s shoulders and meeting his thrusts in a slick slow grind that had them both short of breath. 

Iorveth pressed his forehead to Roche’s breathing heavily as his hips worked. He looked down at Roche in a way that made all of Roche’s limbs feel weak. He was so close and watching the elf’s face become slack and vulnerable in pleasure pushed him over the edge. He ground up into Iorveth erratically, chasing his finish. Iorveth bit his lip watching Roche come apart and ground his own hips down more decisively, his cock sliding slickly against Roche’s hip. He pushed himself up on one arm and slid his other hand down to work over his cock. Roche watched as his hand worked and his eye closed, his mouth open and panting. 

As the last release of his orgasm left him, Roche just watched transfixed as Iorveth chased his own pleasure. Roche felt a strange warmth fall over him. All he could do was stare at the elf’s face, getting lost in the beauty of it. His desire to have the elf close felt like it was going to burst from his ribs. As Iorveth’s pants turned into moans and a gush of his slick coated Roche’s crotch, Roche felt himself melt. Seeing him like this, vulnerable with a look of bliss across his face made Roche feel weak in a way he had never felt before. As he watched Iorveth come down from his orgasm and slump into Roche’s chest, a realisation dawned on him. He loved him...he loved Iorveth...fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no Roche...
> 
> I love your comments! Thanks so much for sticking with me.


	9. The most cursed of matchmakers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaunter O’Dimm loved living rent-free in Vernon Roche’s head. The Commander of the Temerian Special Forces was amusingly fascinating, as many overly patriotic men were. So many jumped up ideas about Temerian greatness, a more than healthy obsession with his king, some significant Daddy issues and much to Gaunter O’Dimm’s delight...a rather inconvenient sexual attraction to his supposed sworn enemy. Oh, the things you could find in people’s heads, and this head had so many...possibilities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I have been away from writing as I had a serious health issue come up over Xmas that I have only recently come out the other side of. It's been great to get back to writing and this fic is now written and I will be posting the last chapter next week.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter as it explains some things from earlier in the fic...also got to love our favourite Master Mirror. Thanks to void-punk for helping me with all things Gaunter related ^^

Gaunter O’Dimm loved living rent-free in Vernon Roche’s head. The Commander of the Temerian Special Forces was amusingly fascinating, as many overly patriotic men were. So many jumped up ideas about Temerian greatness, a more than healthy obsession with his king, some significant Daddy issues and much to Gaunter O’Dimm’s delight...a rather inconvenient sexual attraction to his supposed sworn enemy. Oh, the things you could find in people’s heads, and this head had so many...possibilities.

One particular morning, Gaunter decided to follow Roche. He wasn’t entirely sure why...but he had a good feeling about it, and Gaunter O’Dimm’s good feelings were never wrong. It was like he could feel the prickling of destiny through his fingers. He found it was always wise to listen to destiny, she had a funny way of indulging his mischief.

He followed Roche on his lone scouting mission in the form of a squirrel. As they went further into the woods Gaunter’s ears pricked up. They were not alone it would seem. An elf was nearby. It didn’t seem like Roche or the elf were currently aware of each other. Following his instinct, Gaunter headed towards the elf, to assess the potential for some fun. To his absolute delight, the elf in question was none other than the Scoia’tael leader that featured in the more sordid parts of Vernon’s mind. Gaunter felt his squirrel tail fluff in absolute glee...destiny never let him down.

He moved close enough to push a few suggestions to the elf: it was definitely a good idea to head East, he hadn’t patrolled that way in a few days, had he heard something from that direction? Gaunter followed as the elf slipped almost silently through the trees. He watched as the elf spotted Roche and silently swung himself up into a tree to watch. Roche was completely unaware of the two sets of eyes on him as he walked through the forest until the elf swung down and kicked him squarely in the back. 

“Really you should be more careful walking alone in *my* woods Vernon.” the elf mocked, as he pushed his sword underneath Roche’s chin. Gaunter could hear Roche’s heart rate pick up from all the way up in his tree. What interested Gaunter, however, was that the elf was not unaffected either. Gaunter considered him from where he sat in the tree, he was enjoying this encounter far too much for a sworn enemy. He didn’t have time to fully rummage around in the elf’s mind, but even just a cursory glance over had Gaunter grinning like Selkimore bearing its teeth. A plan was beginning to form in his mind.

“Maybe you should be more careful sneaking up on people.” Roche said as he launched into an attack. Gaunter watched, creeping closer, he had turned back to his humanoid form and was casually watching the pair rain blows down on each other. He rolled his eyes, for enemies their sword fighting sounded an awful lot like foreplay. 

He waited for the perfect opening, and it didn’t take long to present itself to him. Roche fell with a crash into the thicket to the sounds of the elf’s snickering. Gaunter cupped his palms together and conjured the insect. He opened his hands and let it fly free with a few whispered instructions. It’s olive green wings disappeared as it landed on the shrub next to Roche. The next thing Gaunter heard was a loud howl of pain. He silently chuckled to himself as the elf reached out and touched the Blue Stripes Commander, ensuring that he would be the one to imprint on him.

“What happened?” came the elf’s voice.

“S...Something b bit me.” Roche gasped.

“Did you see what?” the elf demanded.

“An..an insect...large, shiny...had a strange pattern on its back…” Roche whimpered. Gaunter could almost hear the gears turning in the elf’s head. He realised with glee that the elf knew of the insect and its venom.

“Did the insect have a kind of chevron pattern on its back?” the elf pressed.

“I don’t know...yeah maybe…” Roche replied. The stench of panic from the elf smelt delicious to Gaunter.

“What colour was it dh’oine? Was it red or green?” the elf demanded, a note of fear edging his voice.

“I...I’m not sure...green I think.” Roche said. Gaunter sensed the panic lessen and was almost disappointed.

“What’s happening to me? I...I feel drunk...no I feel hungover...what was that insect?” Roche asked deliriously. 

“You’ve been bitten by an Amare cimex.” the elf said grimly.

“Amare what now?” Roche asked confusedly. Gaunter snorted, despite his...affection for the human, he wasn’t all that bright.

“It’s a rare insect, sometimes referred to as a Lovebug, its venom causes the victim to be in unbearable pain unless they have physical contact with another specific person.” the elf explained, Gaunter felt mirth rise within him as he sensed the realisation of his predicament dawn on Roche.

“Why...why is it called a Lovebug?” Roche squeaked.

“One species, the rarest, causes the victim to need the touch of their true love.” the elf explained, his own fear and discomfort evident in his voice. 

“No, fuck off...this is some elf trick...fuuuck.” Roche spluttered as he drew away from the elf.

“Idiot dh’oine. You said the insect was green which means it is the more common variety. They cause the victim to imprint on the nearest person and require their touch. Now, if you keep pulling away you are just going to hurt yourself.” the elf huffed. 

“Yeah...green.” Roche said weakly. A thought flashed through the human’s mind reminding Gaunter of a detail he had quite forgotten. The human was colour blind. Oh, what sweet nonsense, this was lining up nicely and Gaunter couldn’t believe his luck. 

He watched them argue and finally decide to go somewhere safer. Gaunter was quietly surprised by how quickly the elf had decided to help Roche. It made the situation even more...interesting. He turned back into his squirrel form and followed them as they made their slow progress through the forest holding hands.

He tuned in gleefully to the elf’s thoughts. He himself was still reeling at the surrealness of the situation and how surprisingly nice the human’s hands were. Gaunter smirked and pushed the idea of it being intimate into the elf’s head. He watched the elf practically shiver and snorted to himself. Mortals were so easy to toy with.

He watched with great amusement as the unlikely pair attempted to collect firewood while remaining in contact. He could sense the pain building in Roche and part of him felt slightly bad for him. But, surely the possibilities of this situation would be worth it. He had dreamed about being in the elf’s arms, had he not?

Gaunter leaned in closer as the elf began building a fire. He unlaced one of his barcers and offered his arm to Roche. Gaunter watched him shiver at the touch. Interesting. He dug around briefly in the elf’s head and used what he found to remind the elf just how long it had been since someone had touched him like that. Gaunter smiled to himself as he felt the elf push the thought away hurriedly. 

Gaunter sat back and watched as the elf finished building the fire. Roche had grabbed more of the elf’s arm to relieve his steadily growing pain. He tuned into Roche’s thoughts and realised with a chuckle that he was chewing over the colour of the insect once more. That really was such a delicious and unexpected twist. At least in the vulnerability of his pain Roche could admit his desires to himself.

“Are you….are you crying?” the elf interrupted Roche’s pained thoughts. Roche was crying in front of his ‘enemy’? Oh perfection! He would hate that the elf had seen that. The elf grabbed his face and Gaunter smelt the relief wafting off Roche. 

“I’m not crying...my eyes are just watering from the smoke.” Roche tried to protest. Gaunter snorted, he wasn’t even convincing even the elf of that one.

“Whatever you need to tell yourself dh’oine.” the elf said, as he removed his hands from Roche’s face and started undoing Roche’s armour.

“What...what are you doing?” Gaunter heard Roche gasp as he wriggled away from the elf’s hands. Gaunter sniggered to himself. Come on Roche...haven't you been dreaming of his hands on you?

“It’s getting worse. You are going to need more contact or the pain will become so unbearable that your body will likely die from the shock of it.” the elf said matter-of-factly. Gaunter could hear Roche moan and delighted in sensing the human being torn between his desire and humiliation. Gaunter gently planted the observation that the elf really did have a very nice chest, and watched as Roche stared entranced at the elf’s chest in his low collared tunic. 

“My eye is up here, dh’oine.” the elf said cooly. Gaunter almost fell out of the tree giggling. He got you there Roche!

The pain was clearly building again and Roche quickly forgot his embarrassment when the elf pulled him in closer. He seemed pretty lost in it until he remembered the elf was his ‘enemy’. Gaunter supplied him images of them pressed together like lovers and watched in delight as Roche squirmed in the elf’s hold.

Gaunter went back to examining the elf’s mind. The elf was almost as tightly wound as Roche and that was saying something. Gaunter simply observed as the elf first allowed himself to enjoy Roche’s warmth and then almost immediately after chastised himself for that enjoyment. Then his thoughts drifted to thinking about Roche overpowering him in a fight. Gaunter smiled as he supplied his own much dirtier version of that image. He chuckled as he sensed the elf starting to sweat as he desperately tried to think of something else, naming mushrooms no less. Gaunter smiled as he conjured an image of a particularly phallic stinkhorn. Must keep the elf’s mind on the important things after all.

Before he could mess with the elf further, Roche started to whimper as the pain increased. He watched as they fumbled first to remove their tunics and then change positions. Gaunter found the elf’s choice to sit with Roche in his lap particularly interesting. He listened in amusedly as the elf allowed himself to enjoy being wrapped around the human’s body. But, it did not take long for the elf to start tying himself in knots both over the identity of the person in his lap and how he had got there. The elf really was about as twisted up inside as Roche. By the time the elf got to thoughts of his previous lover, Gaunter wondered if he was even more so. He certainly had to spend more time in this one’s head once the day's nonsense was complete, so many interesting things to toy with in there.

As Roche came down from the pain, Gaunter sensed him really grasp where he was and who he was with. With a grin, Gaunter sent him several thoughts about the elf’s thighs and where Roche might like to be in relation to them. It wasn’t hard, after all, to remind him of his inconvenient attraction to his enemy. Roche could almost feel the burning of Roche’s cheeks as the thoughts led to a rather inconvenient erection.

The pair bickered until somehow they ended up stroking each other’s hair. Gaunter rolled his eyes, could they not just kiss already? He snickered when the elf finally realised his mistake in having Roche in his lap. He almost rolled backwards off his perch when Roche noticed the elf’s inconvenient erection. Could this get any funnier? It could honestly be a scene from some bawdy novel in the back of a Novigrad bookshop.

Unfortunately, the deliciously awkward situation was interrupted by the pain from Roche’s insect bite overwhelming him once more. The elf seemed almost panicked by it, an interesting reaction to have about one's 'enemy’. He struggled to remove the rest of his and Roche’s clothes, then pulled the human on top of him so their now naked bodies were pressed together. It would appear the elf had not thought this position through either. He watched in amusement as the elf practically squirmed underneath Roche as Roche dazedly pawed at the elf’s chest. Gaunter helpfully supplied a rather delightful image of Roche’s hands on the elf’s body in the midst of a rather lovely fuck. He watched in delight as the elf’s face turned red and he began gripping Roche’s shoulder, trying to will the thought away.

“You ok?” Roche’s voice asked, breaking the tension.

“Err yeah?” the elf replied, his voice laced with confusion.

“It’s just...you’re gripping my shoulder pretty hard.” Roche said, indicating his shoulder.

“Oh. Sorry.” the elf said flushing again. Gaunter could barely hold in his giggles. He watched with growing excitement as the pair watched each other. Gaunter could practically feel the tension in the air. Then Roche finally took the leap and moved to kiss the elf. Fucking finally! It took all of Gaunter’s self-control not to wolf whistle loudly at the pair of them. It only took magical insect venom and several hours of awkward pining, but they had finally given in to their deeply buried desires.

“Fuck.” Roche breathed. “That was…” 

“A mistake.” the elf finished. “Just the venom fucking with your head.” Ooft, Gaunter watched Roche’s face fall hearing the elf.

“Oh...errr the pain isn’t bad at all now actually. That wasn’t...I mean...this isn’t about the venom.” Roche faltered and came to a halt.

“What do you mean it isn’t about the venom? Why else would you...do that?” the elf asked incredulously.

“I mean the venom didn’t make me want to kiss you.” Roche said louder. Gaunter leaned forward, oh this was good.

“Why?” the elf asked. Roche huffed out a frustrated sigh.

“What do you mean ‘why’? Isn’t it obvious? I thought elves were supposed to be clever?” Roche said, shaking his head.

“I mean why would you want to kiss *me*. By all accounts I’m your enemy, shouldn’t you want to kill me?” the elf demanded. Wasn’t that the question? Gaunter waited for Roche’s response. He knew the answer...but would the Blue Stripes commander admit it?

“I could ask you the same thing? You could have left me to die a horrible painful death, yet here we are...” Roche said, giving the elf a pointed look before adding “You kissed me back.” Gaunter bit his lip to stifle his laughter, Roche had him there.

“Fuck you, dh’oine.” the elf snarled in return and what followed was the most erotically charged wrestling match Gaunter had seen outside of a brothel. Eventually, they stopped fighting and returned to kissing. Gaunter rolled his eyes, he was surprised it took that long.

While the pair were distracted by rutting against each other Gaunter took the opportunity to have a closer look in the elf’s head. After a good dig around, he was not surprised that Roche had such an attraction. The elf was indeed about as twisted up inside as Roche himself, albeit for vastly different causes. To his amusement, he also found some rather filthy dreams about Roche, filthier even than Roche’s dreams about the elf. No wonder the pair of them got so riled up wrestling each other considering how both of them fantasized about being pinned by the other. The only difference was the amount of shame and self-loathing that the elf held about his own desires.

Gaunter tuned back into what the pair were doing and was amused to find Roche with his face buried between the elf’s thighs and the elf clawing at the earth beneath him in near ecstasy. It appeared his suggestion to Roche about where he might want the elf’s thighs had had its intended effect. The elf seemed to be having no problem letting himself give in to his desires, at least for the moment. 

Once the elf had come back down after Roche had finished him with his mouth, it did not take long before the pair began tussling again. The elf took the lead this time and Gaunter almost barked out a laugh when he pinned Roche on his stomach. He could almost smell the arousal waft of Roche. How many times had the man had this dream? And here the elf was unknowingly acting it out for him. The elf, however, surprised even Gaunter with the filthy direction he took things once he had Roche pinned. Gaunter watched on with an impressed raise of an eyebrow. 

As Roche started to really lose it Gaunter noticed the soft look that had crept onto his face. That was certainly...interesting. He was actually quite surprised when Roche pulled the elf close, not by Roche’s actions, but by the fact the elf let him. As the pair of them finished off in a cacophony of grunts and moans. Gaunter leaned in closer, that soft look had never left Roche’s face. He tuned into the man’s thought just in time to...well fuck...Gaunter had not anticipated that twist. He rubbed his chin with interest, he quite enjoyed being surprised.

He watched as the pair collapsed into each other’s arms. He was now even more interested in how this might play out. Destiny sure enjoyed her games with both mortals and immortals alike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and now we will be getting to the best bit. The awkward post-sex conversation.
> 
> I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you enjoyed reading it. I love getting your comments ^^


	10. But I thought grass was yellow?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Yeah...pretty different. You know red the colour of blood...Green the colour of grass?” Iorveth’s brow furrowed as he spoke. Could Roche really not tell the difference?
> 
> “Huh...I thought grass was more of a yellow.” Roche said, his own brow pinching in confusion. 
> 
> “Are you really telling me you can’t tell the difference between my bandana and the grass?” Iorveth asked, still not quite believing it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh the last chapter! Thank you for sticking with me! There are some important notes at the end.

Iorveth’s mind felt warm and hazey. He had practically melted into Vernon's chest and he had no intention of moving anytime soon. Moving meant thinking and Iorveth did not want to think about what had just happened beyond the fact it felt good. He wasn’t going to think about what he had just done with Vernon Fucking Roche, nope he was just going to lie here and enjoy the afterglow. 

Vernon shifted underneath him, bringing his arms up to wrap tightly around Iorveth. Iorveth allowed himself to be held, it had been so long since anyone had held him like this and it felt good...as long as he didn’t think too much about it. 

The pair of them lay there for a long time, the fire had died down but the glowing embers still gave off a pleasant warmth. The mess between them had dried and become sticky but still, neither of them made any effort to move. It was like they both knew as soon as they moved the moment would be broken and the reality of what they had just done would sink in. So for now they just lay there in each other's arms silently. It wasn’t until dawn started to tinge the sky yellow and pink through the trees that Roche shifted once more underneath Iorveth.

“We should err...probably get back to our camps. I know the Stripes will start looking for me if I’m not back soon.” Roche said quietly, his voice sounding slightly thick and cracked from not being used for hours. Iorveth let out a long sigh as he felt the long moment of peace they had shared shatter as the reality of who they were flooded back in.

“Yeah, we probably should.” he replied, still not wanting to move. He let himself lie there for a few more minutes, knowing that as soon as he did move that he would have to deal with not only the sticky mess that existed between their bodies but the sticky mess of what had taken place between them. It was like he could feel the heaviness of that movement in his bones. He knew he couldn’t just stay here and never move again, but part of him wanted to. 

With a heavy sigh, Iorveth pushed himself up until he was once again kneeling between Roche’s legs. Iorveth looked down at Roche, hair still tousled and eyes soft. Had they really just…? How had he ended up here in between Vernon Roche’s naked thighs? It was such a betrayal of everything he stood for, yet he couldn’t deny that in the moment he had wanted it. He had wanted to take Vernon to pieces in every way possible. Was he really that sick in the head that he wanted to watch the Head of the Temerian Special Forces come apart beneath him? He had always known that the rivalry he shared with Roche was different from what he had experienced with the other special forces commanders he had killed. Vernon Roche infuriated him, he wanted to outwit him, defeat him, make him suffer, but he knew deep down that whatever drew him to Roche as an enemy went deeper than simply that. Despite having the opportunity many times, he could never quite bring himself to kill him.

Iorveth looked away and rose to his feet. He looked around, their clothes and belongings were scattered all over the place from their hasty disrobing. He reached down and picked up his hose. He was about to gingerly use them to clean himself when he felt a nudge on his arm. He looked round to see Roche offering him a rag torn from his own undershirt.

“Use this. The mess is my fault after all.” he said.

“I think it’s fair to say we are equal parts responsible for the mess.” Iorveth replied, but took the offered rag and began cleaning himself. 

“Yeah well, maybe that mess...but everything with the insect and the venom...you didn’t have to help me.” Roche stopped there awkwardly. He was looking at Iorveth with something achingly soft in his eyes. The look made something in Iorveth’s chest tighten. 

“I wasn’t just going to leave you to a painful pathetic death.” Iorveth replied, looking away and handing the rag back to Roche. Iorveth started putting his hose back on trying hard not to think about the situation too much. Roche made a noise like he was about to say something but thought better of it.

They collected their clothes and dressed in silence. As he buckled his various pieces of armour back in place, the weight of what had passed between them began to settle on Iorveth. What would his people think if they knew what he had just done? What would Ciaran think? What about Imadia? Sylva? Tarred? Rinn? What would any of them think? Even if they knew he had just helped Vernon after the bite, that would be enough of a betrayal. Let alone...everything else. How could he do this? Was he really that desperate and broken that he would take pleasure and comfort in the arms of Vernon Roche? What the fuck was wrong with him?

Iorveth had picked up his waterskin and was dowsing what remained of the fire when he felt Roche touch his arm. He resisted the urge to flinch and turned to look at the Blue Stripes Commander. He was fully dressed now including his chaperone, he looked up at Iorveth with that same soft look as before. Iorveth’s chest tightened, that look made him feel weak. 

“I found your bandana, it was tangled up with my chaperone.” Roche said handing Iorveth the bundle of red fabric and leather straps.

“Oh. Thank you.” Iorveth said. He hadn’t realised he had forgotten it. He took the bundle from Roche and their hands touched. It sent a shiver through Iorveth.

“It’s a nice colour, your bandana.” Roche said awkwardly. Iorveth got the sense that he wanted to drag out the moment before they both turned and parted ways. “I like that it matches your eye.” Roche added, looking up at Iorveth. Iorveth took in the words and scrunched his face up in confusion...matched his eye?

“What do you mean matches my eye? It’s red. My eye is green...” Iorveth asked, still trying to work out what the dh’oine meant by that.

“Is it?” Roche said, his eyes widening slightly and a look of embarrassment quickly passing over his face. Iorveth stared at him incredulously.

“Yeah...They are completely different colours...” Iorveth said, still baffled by the conversation.

“Are red and green really that different?” Roche laughed nervously.

“Yeah...pretty different. You know red the colour of blood...Green the colour of grass?” Iorveth’s brow furrowed as he spoke. Could Roche really not tell the difference?

“Huh...I thought grass was more of a yellow.” Roche said, his own brow pinching in confusion. 

“Are you really telling me you can’t tell the difference between my bandana and the grass?” Iorveth asked, still not quite believing it.

“Well..I mean they are kind of different shades...but well no?” Roche offered, looking sheepish. A sudden thought hit Iorveth like a bolt from the heavens.

“Earlier, when the Amare cimex bit you, you said you thought it was green.” Iorveth had turned fully to face Roche now, his heart was racing. 

“I err yeah.” Roche said, not looking Iorveth in the eye.

“But you just said you can’t tell the difference, so how could you tell?” Iorveth demanded.

“I...well...I couldn’t ok? You just seemed relieved when I said green.” Roche said, still not looking Iorveth in the eye. Iorveth stood there with his mouth open in shock...if Roche didn’t see what colour it was...then well it could have been…

“But, it must have been green, because you don’t...you would never…” Iorveth looked down at Roche, trying to get some kind of confirmation.

“I...I don’t know. I...actually think...maybe…maybe it was red.” Roche said quietly, nervousness evident in his voice. He finally looked up into Iorveth’s eye. The realisation hit Iorveth all at once….that look, he understood it now.

“No...no...it can’t have been. You can’t.” Iorveth said, taking a step backwards. He couldn’t believe his ears, the dh’oine couldn’t be serious, could he? The idea was unthinkable.

“Why can’t I?” Roche said a slight look of defiance in his eyes. 

“What do you mean why can’t you?” Iorveth’s chest tightened at the thought. He felt lightheaded...this was too much and just not something he could deal with. “I am the leader of the Scoia’tael. You are the commander of the Blue Stripes...you have orders to kill me. How can you...how can you even think to?” Iorveth could feel his voice getting more shrill as he continued. Roche stepped closer and placed his hands gently on Iorveth’s shoulders, pulling them closer together.

“All those things are true...but...it doesn’t change how I feel. And...well you saved my life today, and...you kissed me back. This isn’t just one-sided, tell me I’m wrong?” Roche looked up into Iorveth’s eye, that look was there again, but this time it was edged with desperation. Iorveth stood frozen, he looked at Roche. What he was saying wasn’t untrue...but why couldn’t he see why it was all wrong? Why what they had just done had been a betrayal? He wrenched himself free of Roche’s grasp and took another few steps back.

“You and your men have murdered my people Roche. You are actively complicit in the oppression of my kind. And you think what? That we can somehow be together despite that fact? That we could in any way be on the same side?” Iorveth asked, he could feel himself shaking. Roche looked at him, hurt evident in his eyes. “I may have saved your life, but everything else that’s happened was a mistake.” With that Iorveth turned and ran as fast as he could back into the forest, not looking back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok...before you hate me for that ending. I decided while writing this to make it into a series. I wont be writing it straight away, but I have many plans! It's going to be very exciting and involve more Gaunter noinsense.


End file.
